Hoyer Statement on 75th Anniversary of Fair Labor Standards Act

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today marking the 75th anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act being signed into law:

“I join in marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, a core component of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal that standardized the forty-hour workweek, guaranteed ‘time-and-a-half’ overtime pay, and established the first federal minimum wage. The Fair Labor Standards Act was a landmark victory for the working men and women of America and their families, and it helped create the opportunities that enabled tens of millions of our people to pursue the American Dream.

“In the 112th and 113th Congresses, we’ve witnessed Republican attempts to roll back these protections for workers by passing legislation to end overtime pay as we know it and effectively ending the work of the National Labor Relations Board. Instead of working to chip away at these hard-won victories for working Americans, Congress ought to be focusing instead on efforts to create good jobs that pay well and open doors of opportunity for more of our people. One important step Congress can take is to pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which I am proud to co-sponsor, to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and link it to the cost of living. I will continue to stand up strongly in defense of workers’ rights in Congress and all that has been made possible by the Fair Labor Standards Act and subsequent legislation benefitting America’s working families.”